I secretly moved behind the guy and burrowed into the ground.
The reason I chose this approach was threefold.
First, a head-on fight was out of the question.
And if I tried to rush him from behind, I had no idea how fast his reactions were.
For the same reason, approaching while exposing my body was out too.
So I chose the method that let me hide as much of my body as possible while closing the distance.
And then.
There was one more reason.
“...Kuhng?”
Swoosh.
I got him.
I confirmed that his front paw stepped onto the tunnel I’d dug and sank right in.
Naturally, his attention would be drawn there.
That was the point.
I shot out from behind and aimed for his hind legs.
The flesh of his thigh looked plump and delicious, but unfortunately, that wasn’t what I was after.
His thighs were simply too thick.
One bite wouldn’t be enough to inflict a serious wound.
Then.
The place I should target was a part where a single attack would be enough to make a difference.
I sharpened my claws.
I bared my teeth.
Then I lunged at his heel and focused all my force on tearing one spot apart.
I bit through the skin.
And tore into the muscle.
My teeth had grown even sturdier through my rank-up.
And the advantage of having three fingers showed itself here.
Because I only had three fingers now, each one had become larger, thicker, and stronger.
So.
There was no reason this should fail.
Snap.
...I severed my first target from his heel.
I felt it clearly.
It was done.
I quickly retreated back underground.
That was the third reason I chose to ambush him from below.
Right now, his front paw was sunk deep in the ground, making an immediate response difficult.
Given the strength I expected from him, it wouldn’t take more than a few seconds, but a few seconds was enough.
Enough time for me to create distance....
“Kuhng! Kuhuuuuuuung!!”
BOOOOM!!!
“Kheh-?!”
...What the hell.
No way.
Already?
I’d estimated three seconds based on the depth.
Considering his size and weight, at the very least his leg should have sunk to the knee.
At that depth, even with monstrous brute strength, it should have taken three seconds for sure.
...At least, that was common sense.
But this guy.
Less than a second after his hind leg was caught, he yanked his front paw free.
And this was the result.
An overwhelming shockwave of destruction crashed over me.
The surrounding ground flipped over, and I was blasted out of the earth as well.
I barely had time to squint at the sunlight that suddenly flooded my eyes.
“...Kehk.”
...The damage was huge.
Because it was such an unexpected blow, I couldn’t respond properly.
My back was completely crushed.
And my limbs were wobbling like yesterday.
...Did it even get my head too?
I’m dizzy.
The world is shaking violently.
He looks faintly doubled.
Something is being raised overhead in my field of vision.
...
......
.........
Stay calm.
What he’s raising.
What he could use to kill me.
What he could use to crush an annoying enemy.
What is it?
Obvious, isn’t it.
His fist.
His power had already surpassed my expectations.
Dodging was the best answer.
Can I dodge it?
...No. Impossible.
The muscles in my legs had been badly torn apart.
Escaping the range of his strike would be difficult.
Even if I burrowed into the ground, it would probably be the same.
...The only fallback option was probably one.
I set my stance.
I raised both arms into a guard.
I bent my legs as much as possible.
And crouched down.
[Hardened Body]
[Super Instinct]
I hardened my skin.
And, predicting the path most likely to let me take his fist with as little damage as possible, I adjusted my guard.
...It’s coming.
His fist kept growing larger in my sight.
...Can I take it?
Looking at it, no way.
But.
I don’t need to take it in perfect condition.
I just need to survive.
And.
This isn’t about whether I can do it.
I have to do it.
As much as possible.
As much as possible, crouch down.
And harden myself even a little more.
KUKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWA-BOOM!!!
Impact.
“...K...hrrrraaaah...!”
I’m being crushed.
My whole body starts creaking under the fist packed with overwhelming force.
Cracks begin to spread across my hardened arms.
And my legs, trembling but barely holding together, turn precarious.
Pop.
“......!”
I hurriedly wrapped my tail tightly around my left leg to brace it.
The muscle burst.
I’d temporarily reinforced the left leg, but if the right leg burst too, there would be no way out.
I’d die.
The moment that fist reached my head or torso, I would definitely die.
...Think.
I can’t just take this impact head-on.
My body will give out and explode before that.
Somehow.
I have to disperse this force, or let it flow away....
...
......
.........
................
...By instinct.
I knew.
What I had to do now.
My thoughts snapped into place instantly.
My decision came just as fast.
I suppressed my instincts screaming that I was going to die, and the hunger raging wildly inside me.
I emptied my mind, cluttered with complicated thoughts, until it was like a blank sheet of paper.
...I imagined it.
What I drew was not hardness.
Not sharpness.
Nor was it softness or dullness.
I focused on softness that could twist or carry away overwhelming force.
...Carry it away?
A soft flow?
It flows.
...Water.
The flow of a river.
A calm, gentle wave.
The surface of a still lake.
...There.
I returned to reality.
I released the guard that had been on the verge of shattering.
Death was coming straight for my unprotected chest.
I didn’t block it, and I didn’t bounce it away.
I pushed it aside.
I accepted the fist as if warmly embracing it.
Just like the image of flowing water.
Softly.
I turned it.
I pushed it away.
Without roughness or haste.
But calmly, and swiftly.
...I pushed it away.
KUKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWA!!!
There was no time to finish sorting out my thoughts.
Using the rising cloud of dust as cover, I leaped at him.
In the massive crater that had formed, my left arm remained behind, burst apart.
He was wearing a faint, vicious smile.
Are you happy?
That’s a relief.
Smile for just a moment.
Because from here on, I’m going to paint that smile over with despair and grief.
I broke through the dust and revealed myself.
Then I burst his unguarded eyes.
“Kuhuuuuuuung, kuhuuuuuuuuuuung!!!”
Haa.
That hurts like hell.
...Did my jaw come out of place?
Looks like I didn’t completely deflect the attack after all.
I’m not even sure exactly what I did.
I just moved by instinct and imagined it....
...I don’t know.
Whatever it was, this should count as a success.
I put distance between us and watched him clutch his eyes and scream.
He rolled.
He smashed down.
With that huge body, he rampaged and destroyed everything around him, but I was already outside the range.
While waiting for him to tire himself out, I calmly popped my jaw back into place.
Click.
“...Ow.”
Yeah, it still hurts.
My body is exhausted.
But.
Even more than that, I’m hungry.
It keeps screaming louder and louder.
Hungry.
I wish he’d die already.
There’s no way a giant like that would die from having his eyes burst, though.
Still, for now, this damage trade is far more favorable on my side.
I regenerated all my damage, while he lost his sight.
...It didn’t go exactly as I’d planned, but still.
“Kuhuuuuung! Kuhng! Kuhuuuuuuung....”
And then, there was only one thing left.
A one-sided attack.
As his momentum weakened with ragged breaths, I immediately rushed in and shredded his back.
“Kheung?!”
He hurriedly tried to get up and flailed his front paws, but he lost his balance and collapsed anyway.
Of course.
I’d cut his Achilles tendon from the start.
He wasn’t getting back up now.
Riding that momentum, I lunged straight at his shoulder and started tearing into it deeply.
I ripped the skin.
And parted the muscle.
Until I finally reached the tendon.
Snap.
“Kuhuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!”
And the same.
The other side too.
Crack.
“!!!!!!!!!!”
...How noisy.
What an incredibly loud scream.
“Kkuh... kkuhuuuuuuu....!”
Well.
I don’t like hearing food howl.
But this time, for some reason, I wanted to savor those screams and enjoy them.
So.
From here on, it was nothing but a one-sided meal.
Ripping apart the thigh I’d noticed earlier, I began to eat.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register